# Heartfelt beads holding 81% RH, please help...



## scubasteve (Sep 4, 2011)

Hello to all,

I decided last week to purchase a complete replacement of my old humidification setup ( Xikar Crystal ) for my desktop humidor and travel humidors. I live in Florida and my house is really airtight, so in the summer the house runs between 50% - 58% RH and in the winter it will run drier. With the old setup the humidor (50 stick - 290 cubic inches) wold hold between 69%-71% with no issues. I wanted to try to move to 65%RH since it seems to be the common practice on this site. I ordered a variety of tubes and sheets and half pound of 65%RH beads. I used my digital scale to weigh the correct amount of beads into the containers. In this humidor I placed 2 of the Medium sized tubes on the top row of the humidor and 2 "dry" 2"X5" sheets to soak up any extra humidity to be on the safe side. I still can't get the RH down, and I'm starting to fear a mold issue. I took the tubes apart yesterday and the beads are mainly clear and the beads are all swollen to different sizes, so I don't think that they are overcharged, but the tubes seemed to be more difficult to charge, my opinion of course. Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to give as much background as possible for the masters on the forum to help me out.

Thanks for every thing,

-Steve:smoke:


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## Poneill272 (Oct 29, 2010)

scubasteve said:


> Hello to all,
> 
> I decided last week to purchase a complete replacement of my old humidification setup ( Xikar Crystal ) for my desktop humidor and travel humidors. I live in Florida and my house is really airtight, so in the summer the house runs between 50% - 58% RH and in the winter it will run drier. With the old setup the humidor (50 stick - 290 cubic inches) wold hold between 69%-71% with no issues. I wanted to try to move to 65%RH since it seems to be the common practice on this site. I ordered a variety of tubes and sheets and half pound of 65%RH beads. I used my digital scale to weigh the correct amount of beads into the containers. In this humidor I placed 2 of the Medium sized tubes on the top row of the humidor and 2 "dry" 2"X5" sheets to soak up any extra humidity to be on the safe side. I still can't get the RH down, and I'm starting to fear a mold issue. I took the tubes apart yesterday and the beads are mainly clear and the beads are all swollen to different sizes, so I don't think that they are overcharged, but the tubes seemed to be more difficult to charge, my opinion of course. Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to give as much background as possible for the masters on the forum to help me out.
> 
> ...


First, welcome to Puff!

Here is my thoughts on this.

1. the beads are definitely too wet. take them out, and let them dry until they are all white again. replace the dry tubes into the humi and let them do their job, and they will. you really don't need the sheets.

2. get one of those reusable spray bottles from the store, and fill it with distilled water. turn the tip until it is set on a stream. remove the cap on the tube and give one pump on that end, replace cap, and do the same thing to the other end. only 50-70% of the beads need to be clear. that is the most effective way to hydrate your beads, IMHO.

good luck, this should work out for you.


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## scubasteve (Sep 4, 2011)

Thanks for the fast reply. I was under the impression that you only needed to have dry beads if you lived in an environment that had an RH higher than what you were trying to maintain your humidor at. I will try your suggestions now, how hard is it to tell when the beads are dry/white when looking through the sides of the tubes?


Thanks for the help

:drinking:


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## ezred (Jun 27, 2011)

Move out here to West Texas. You will never have a "too high RH problem" again. 

Seriously though, take those tubes out and let them dry a little like he said. Dude you live in Florida. I have been there and it ain't dry.

I believe that once you get your RH down and put those tubes back in, you will have much better success at keeping the RH steady.

Long ashes my friend.

(pssst check out the KL thread too)


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

scubasteve said:


> Thanks for the fast reply. I was under the impression that you only needed to have dry beads if you lived in an environment that had an RH higher than what you were trying to maintain your humidor at. I will try your suggestions now, how hard is it to tell when the beads are dry/white when looking through the sides of the tubes?
> 
> Thanks for the help
> 
> :drinking:


Steve
I live in NH.
I have not added water to Bead/KL since April and won't until
October or November.


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## rjacobs (Aug 9, 2011)

Step one: Throw out expensive beads
Step two: replace with cheap KL and fish filter bags
Step three: watch you RH sit at 65% with no input from you for weeks on end


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

Do not throw out beads !!!!!!
Unless the salt has been washed off.
I use Beads and KL in my coolers.
If used desktops, where *room is at a premium*, I would
use beads exclusively...


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## fivespdcat (Nov 16, 2010)

asmartbull said:


> Do not throw out beads !!!!!!
> Unless the salt has been washed off.
> I use Beads and KL in my coolers.
> If used desktops, where *room is at a premium*, I would
> use beads exclusively...


Bull is a very smart man and he's 100% right! Also why would you throw away beads when you already have the $$$ invested in the beads. It's a sunk cost, may as well use them. Now if I were started a cooler (which I am), I'm going KL all the way, since it's way cheaper.


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## CraigJS (Dec 23, 2009)

Unaddressed by all here, how accurate is your hygrometer? Beads or KL should only be 50/60% damp (ever). I would go WAY drier in this case.


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## scubasteve (Sep 4, 2011)

CraigJS said:


> Unaddressed by all here, how accurate is your hygrometer? Beads or KL should only be 50/60% damp (ever). I would go WAY drier in this case.


-The hygrometer is very accurate, have tested a $200 HVAC (air conditioning) Tester used to calculate dew point, RH, dry bulb temperature. It always test to +/- 1% RH of that tester.

- I do not think that the salts have been washed away, since I just received them last Friday ( 4 days ago ) and they were moistened down with a spray bottle of DW (distilled water). They were only moistened one time.

- I took some of my new left over dried out beads and replaced about 25% of the moistened beads in the tubes with these. So now my tubes are 75%-clear and 25%-white. I will check my RH in the am tomorrow to see if it has dropped.

- I just thought that since my air conditioning in my house kicks butt and keeps the air so dry (around 50-55% RH), that I could allow all of the beads to become clear and hydrated, not dripping wet. This would give me a greater capacity between each charge. This is going on the theory that my more humid humidor at 65% RH would slowly leak out to try to hydrate (humidify) the dry air in my house or equalize.

Thanks for everyone's help,
Steve

:typing: :drinking: :smoke:


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

This time of year in Florida no less the R/h has got to be in the 80% range. Try to dry them out via a 200 degree oven or in the freezer. Put them back in dry see what happens! If they fail Kitty Litter is a cheap alternative providing you have the space. Once again put in dry keep adding till you reach the desired R/H good Luck!


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## fivespdcat (Nov 16, 2010)

My basement sits at 60%, I have spritz my KL a total of 10 times this whole summer...


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## BMack (Dec 8, 2010)

You BARELY need any water in the beads for them to work. I have 70% beads and my humidor is sitting at 62% 

I'm using a half lb and if I was to add a teaspoon of distilled water it will go up to 65-66% or higher. They look too dry but they're doing their job very well.


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## CraigJS (Dec 23, 2009)

If your beads are clear, they have moisture in them. I they are white, they are dry. You want more white (dry) then clear (moist). Right now you have it the other way around..


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## nealw6971 (Jul 8, 2011)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> This time of year in Florida no less the R/h has got to be in the 80% range. Try to dry them out via a 200 degree oven or in the freezer. Put them back in dry see what happens! If they fail Kitty Litter is a cheap alternative providing you have the space. Once again put in dry keep adding till you reach the desired R/H good Luck!


+10... this man knows what he is talking about. Truly... listen to him. His brain RH is a constant 65% because of KL.

PS, KL rocks! :rockon:


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## rjacobs (Aug 9, 2011)

asmartbull said:


> Do not throw out beads !!!!!!
> Unless the salt has been washed off.
> I use Beads and KL in my coolers.
> If used desktops, where *room is at a premium*, I would
> use beads exclusively...





fivespdcat said:


> Bull is a very smart man and he's 100% right! Also why would you throw away beads when you already have the $$$ invested in the beads. It's a sunk cost, may as well use them. Now if I were started a cooler (which I am), I'm going KL all the way, since it's way cheaper.


I was being sarcastic. Guess it didnt get caught.


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## scubasteve (Sep 4, 2011)

...Just a quick update, the humidor is holding 70%RH @ 70 Deg F...

- I will check when I get home from work tonight.

Thanks to all,

-Steve


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

rjacobs said:


> I was being sarcastic. Guess it didnt get caught.


Bobby
No worries
Sometimes it just takes time to get to know ya...


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